Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Throne speech highlights

It's an election manifesto as much as a legislative to-do list. Here are the highlights:

• Freeze in departmental salary and overhead budgets.• Review of all departmental spending• A new emphasis on achieving efficiencies and ending duplication in the public service.• Freeze on MP, Ministers, Senators and PM’s salaries.• Freeze on ministerial office budgets• More funding for skills development and apprenticeship programs• Strengthened education opportunities for Native peoples.• Emphasis on technology research and development, with strengthening of copyright laws.• Allow foreign investment in telecommunications comapnies. • Space-based technologies that will help support Arctic sovereignty (probably a polar spy satellite system).• Encouragement of foreign investment in Canadian space technology.• More work on Free Trade.• National securities regulator.• Cut red tape for new energy projects and small business.• Invest in clean energy research.• Help for the marketing of forestry and farm products.• Reform Canada’s fisheries management.• Find ways to protect workers in bankrupt companies.• Better food safety research. • Tougher youth crime laws, increased penalties for sex offenders who prey on children, including Internet luring and cyber abuse. • Life in jail without parole for multiple murders.• No house arrest for violent offenders.• Re-introduce legislation toughening the laws on illegal drug trafficking• “Improve criminal procedures” to cut the number of long, drawn-out crimes.• More help for victims of crime.• More anti-terrorism funding, including more airport screening and biometric passports.• More judicial tools to fight terrorism and organized crime.• Protection of seniors’ income and a national Seniors Day.• Access to EI for soldiers.• More money for war memorials and a memorial to the victims of Communism.• Modernize support systems for veterans.• More help for Native reserves, including environmental clean-ups, settlements of land claims, and breaking down barriers to gender equality for Native women.• Strengthen Francophone identity and restrict the use of the federal spending power in areas of provincial jurisdiction.• Place an emphasis on Arctic research, including sustainable development in the North.